Improve Call Center Performance with Diversification

11/10/2016

Capitalize on “Insurmountable Opportunity”

You’ve probably heard the expression: “We have met the enemy and he is us.” That line is credited to Pogo, a comic strip character created by Walt Kelly.

Another Pogo line, which applies to call center and contact center services, is: “We are surrounded by insurmountable opportunity.” A turn of phrase—and thinking.

Such a positive outlook opens up possibilities for progress. It broadens horizons beyond day-to-day business pressures to ponder: “Did you ever think? Say, maybe we could. Yeah, why not.”

“Did you ever think?”

“Say, maybe we could.”

“Yeah, why not.”

It requires a mindset that goes beyond the scheduled scope of work. And instead, imagines those between-the-lines opportunities too often overlooked amid the routine rush and crush.

Capitalize on the Everyday

With clients, we explore ways to diversify and expand their call center and contact center operations. In short, we help them capitalize on the everyday.

For instance, we might shift resources, maximizing agent downtime help out with sales. This, in turn, could free up in-house staff to focus efforts elsewhere, such as launching a marketing program. We constantly look for such opportunities.

Point is: The better in touch we are with a client’s business, the more insurmountable opportunities we can see and seize upon. Here are a few examples of how it’s done.

Opportunity #1: “Build It and They Will Come”

In 2015, Working Solutions provided agents for an entertainment industry client, based on its projected needs. Good in theory. In practice, however, demand exceeded the number of agent hours scheduled.

In 2016, we studied the client’s history of customer volume over several years. We saw an opportunity, creating a new transaction model. It anticipated business fluctuations and built in training for additional agents—without charging the client for this service unless they were needed.

We call it, “Build It and They Will Come.” Now, when customers come, the client is ready.

Opportunity #2: Chat It Up

Many businesses want to engage customers more—without increasing staff. Such was the case for one client, a sports retailer that sought to add chat to its current services.

Tapping the agents already in place, we cross-trained a third of them for a chat channel. With it, we could respond in real time with customers, build on-the-spot efficiencies and ease the workload for the in-house call center.

Within a week, chat became a regular feature on the retailer’ site, with the intent to drive up customer engagement, especially during the upcoming holiday season.

Opportunity #3: Benefit from Expertise

For two different clients, a women’s fashion retailer and a national ticket reseller, Working Solutions figured out how to reduce inquiries sent to their in-house teams.

Instead of client resource desks handling level-1 and level-2 inquiries, we proposed routing them to our subject-matter experts. The logic being that expert agents, well-versed in the programs, could cut down on long hold times, traffic and reduce costs.

The retailer keeps our experts full time on its escalation team. Here, the outcome is reduced staffing, cost-per-call savings—with shorter hold times and front-line service expertise.

More Resourceful Resources

Question is: What client couldn’t use more resourceful resources to scale those insurmountable opportunities?

It just requires a service provider with the proper perspective and business insight. Right?